Tachibana Imouto
by kappamaki
Summary: Hana Yori Dango fusion. New CH.7: Events transpire as Seigaku play against Rikkai, and a date is proposed.
1. Prologue

_Summary:_ Tachibana An has just received a scholarship to attend one of the nation's best schools... unfortunately, that school happens to be Hyoutei. She hates it there. She hates the stuck-up rich kids, the attitude they give her, and most of all she hates Atobe Kiego. Will she be able to find something worthwhile in this school? Various het and shonen-ai pairings.

_Pairings:_ AtobeAn, KamioAn, AnJirou, JirouYukimura, TachibanaFuji, ShinjiKamio, various others

_Disclaimer:_ Prince of Tennis and its characters do not belong to me.

**Prologue**

Tachibana An blinked. And blinked again. She had come home that day and, instead of going directly to her room to change out of her school girl uniform, decided instead to hop into the kitchen for a quick snack. She had been very surprised to see her parents, who should have been at work, sitting at the table with her guidance counselor, her brother, and Kamio Akira. They were staring up at her with various expressions of shock, joy, dismay, and guilt.

"Ah, An, we were just talking about you." Her guidance counselor smiled at her in a very professional way that had always managed to make her feel uncomfortable. The expression just seemed to forced on the otherwise indifferent face. "I was just saying congratulations to your parents."

Her parents beamed up at her, accounting for the two expressions of pride in the room. Kamio looked like he was about to faint. Kippei... well, Kippei looked sullen, as always.

"Oh, An, congratulations," gushed her mother. "I'm so proud of you."

"Wait!" Kamio shouted, looking as though he was about to have a panic attack. "An hasn't even agreed yet! For all we know, she doesn't want to go to Hyoutei!"

An dropped her bag onto the floor, her mouth forming a small 'o'. "Hyoutei? What is going on?"

"As I was just telling your parents," the counselor began, deciding to just ignore Kamio's rude outburst, "Hyoutei has offered you a scholarship because of your spectacular grades. And if you enroll there now as a junior high student and keep a certain g.p.a., they'll extend your scholarship to cover tuition in their high school as well."

"What?" An's world shook even as her parents smiled ecstatically. After all, Hyoutei was one of the best schools in the nation, and one of the most expensive. The humble, working class Tachibana family could never afford to send one of their children there. "But Aniki... and all my friends... they go to Fudoumine. What's wrong with Fudoumine?"

An looked around the room. Her parents seemed a little disheartened by her reaction, though Kamio seemed relieved. Her eyes landed on her brother. Her brother, who she adored and respected above all else.

"An." Kippei's mouth tugged into a small frown, but he quickly schooled it into an equally small smile. "Hyoutei will give you opportunities that Fudoumine never can. You're too intelligent not to take advantage of this."

"I see." An bent down to grab her bag as Kamio looked as though he were about to murder Kippei. Her eyes were downcast, but she smiled any way. "I know you're right. I'm sure that I'll love Hyoutei."

But as An turned and ran towards her room, her family questioned the sincerity of her words. Her mother, however, couldn't help but let out one last statement, as her thoughts turned to her only daughter's promising future.

"Maybe she'll find a rich husband at Hyoutei."

Her father nodded in sage agreement. Every one else in the room sweatdropped.


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter Summary: _An undergoes her first day at Hyoutei, where she meets up with both new and familiar faces.

_Pairings this Chapter:_ AtobeAn

_Notes:_ I've seen the names in PoT spelled various ways (Ann vs An, Fudomine vs Fudoumine), and for consistency I've decided to use the spellings found on the Fruity Explosion Translation page. They're my favorite English PoT site, and are very authoritative sources for the manga. Also, I just want to say that Sonoda Keiko and Wakiya Aiko are not products of my own creativity; they are originally from Utena, and have deigned to make a guest appearance.

Thanks to every one who reviewed!

**Chapter One**

It figured that the first people she would run into at Hyoutei were members of the tennis team. She hadn't even made it to school yet; instead, she was walking from the bus stop towards the campus, pulling on the stiff folds of her new uniform. A snide voice interrupted her from her solitude.

"Hey, don't we know that bitch?"

An looked up and found herself glaring at a rather effeminate redhead. She remembered him from the Tokyo Prefectural Tournament, and those times she had run into Atobe and his minions at the public tennis courts.

"It's that Fudoumine girl," Mukahi Gakuto sneered. "Tachibana's little sister. The one that Atobe likes."

An looked behind Mukahi to see his doubles partner, who had shrugged noncommittally at the statement.

"Why it's nice to see you too, Gaku-chan, Oshitaru-san."

Mukahi bristled at the disrespectful nickname. It's true that's what Oshitaru called him when they were alone, but no one else had to know about that. To think that this Fudoumine girl would address him in such familiar terms was atrocious. Instead of dignifying her with an answer, he turned on his heel and stomped away, making sure to kick up some dirt behind him at the younger girl. He turned back just enough to see that he had gotten her new uniform sufficiently dirtied, a satisfied smirk spreading on his face.

"Let's go, Oshitaru. There's no use in talking to lower-class trash."

Oshitaru shot an apologetic look at An, his fingers moving to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose, before he left to join his friend. An frowned, brushing the dirt off her uniform, and was completely unprepared for the exclamations of sympathy that she heard from behind her.

"Oh, you poor thing!" A girl with large light brown pigtails, bangs forming two curly lines on her forehead, rushed up to An, her hands reaching out with a handkerchief to help brush the dirt off. "Don't let Mukahi bother you, he's just in a bad mood because he thought Oshitaru was flirting with that redhead from Seigaku the other day. I'm Sonoda Keiko by the way. And this is my friend Akiya Aiko."

Keiko gestured to another girl, one with shoulder length black hair that curled out and up and back around at the ends. She smiled at An and waved. "It's not every day we get a new student. We overheard your conversation with Mukahi. So you're from Fudoumine? You guys played really great against us at the Prefectural."

An could only blink through Keiko and Aiko's cheerful conversation. She had never, ever, in a million years guessed that any one at Hyoutei would give her a warm greeting. Maybe she had misjudged the students here.

"So what's your name?" 

An was startled out of her reverie by the innocent question. She smiled beatifically at the two girls. "An. Tachibana An."

"Come on, An, let us show you around the school."

An had to admit, after being led around the campus by her two new friends, that Hyoutei was very impressive. The Fudoumine campus, a simple brick building, paled in comparison. Hyoutei was all stone and pillars, arches lining the unnecessarily wide hallways. Windows covered the walls, stretching from the floor to the ceiling, and extravagant staircases wrapped around and within the building. What impressed An most, though, were the gym facilities. Not only did the school boast three Olympic-sized pools, one of which was outdoors, the most up-to-date equipment, and various courts and fields... the school had no less than twenty tennis courts, all in pristine condition. An supposed they needed that many, with the supposed two hundred plus members in their tennis club. An was ogling her locker, which was practically the size of her closet at home, when she heard a shuffle behind her. The three girls turned to see what was going on.

On the floor, cowering, was a Hyoutei student. A friend was bent down beside him, in the process of helping him stand. An was not surprised to see that the person was cowering from Atobe Kiego. Atobe stood above the pair, arms crossed and head held high, a serene smile on his face. He was flanked by his constant companion Kabaji Munehiro, and the other doubles pair, Ootori Choutarou and Shisido Ryou. Coming up behind them was a blonde boy with droopy eyelids that An recognized as Akutagawa Jirou.

"Ne," An whispered to Keiko, who was busy shoujo sparkling at Atobe in adoration, "why aren't they wearing uniforms?"

Keiko looked back at her in annoyance, then went back to her Atobe worship. "Atobe, Ootori, Shisido, and Akutagawa are the four richest boys in school. If they don't want to wear uniforms every now and then, no one's going to stop them."

An looked at Aiko, who was in a similar state of fawning over the tennis captain.

"He's so gorgeous!"

An cringed. Gorgeous was not the word she would use to describe him. More like arrogant and pigheaded. And at the moment, he was picking on some innocent boy.

"Please, Atobe-sempai," said the boy's friend, "he didn't mean to bump into you. It was an accident. He's sorry!"

Atobe smiled down at the two boys. "An accident, perhaps. An accident that needs to be punished. Maybe after Kabaji teaches you a lesson you won't "accidentally" bump into the great Atobe again."

An cringed at the use of third person, and ran up to stand in front of the boy as Kabaji walked forward menacingly. 

"What do you think you're doing?" she reprimanded Atobe. "He already apologized!"

Atobe had an expression of mild surprise for half a moment before it faded into a familiar expression. It was a combination of a grin and a smirk, and was perhaps the most arrogant expression An had ever seen. And, unfortunately, she had seen it several times it the past. "An-chan, I'm happy to see that the rumors that you were coming to Hyoutei were true. I suppose you came here to be near me... I knew you couldn't resist for long."

"Don't act so full of yourself, you jerk!" An could feel the stares of every one in the hallway on her. The girls were glaring, just realizing that their darling Atobe was actually flirting with her. The boys were staring in shock, surprised that any one would talk to Atobe Kiego this way.

"Spirited, as always." Atobe reached out a hand, clearly expecting An to just give him hers. "Now, shall I walk you to your class?"

An slapped his hand away. "I'd rather have Mizuki from St. Rudolph's walk me to class than you."

Atobe frowned at that, remembering the creepy, flamboyant boy. The last time he had seen him he had been wearing a purple shirt with pink roses on it. Ootori and Shisido snickered and chuckled behind him. Kabaji was, as always, being Kabaji, simply standing at Atobe's side. Jirou was no longer there... he had most certainly gotten bored during the proceedings and had gone ahead to class by himself, where he could at least get some moments of rest at his desk before school started.

"Have it your way, then," Atobe replied in a calm voice. "I'll see you later, An-chan. You can be certain of that."

Atobe gestured at his friends, and An watched as the four tennis players walked away. She turned towards her new friends, who had inexplicably looked away as soon as she made eye contact with them. She raced over to them, putting a smile on her face. "Are you guys ready for class?"

Morning classes passed by rather uneventfully, and An was happy with that. No one made an effort to talk with her, well, aside from Keiko and Aiko, but she hadn't expected them to. Some sent her sharp glances, and she heard mumblings of "low class trash", "Fudomine", and "Atobe" among the whispers that were directed against her. Still, no one outright did anything to her, and for that she was grateful.

An walked through the cafeteria, which was more like the dining area of a very large restaurant than any cafeteria she had been in, grinning when she caught sight of her friends.

"An!" Keiko called. "Come sit next to us!"

An ran to the table, about to sit in one of the empty seats when Aiko shooed her towards another one.

"No, that chair's still wet. Sit here."

An sat down, taking out her lunch when she realized her two friends were just sitting there. Smiling. And staring. At her. She was about to ask what was going on when Keiko's smile grew wider, and it reminded An of Fuji Syusuke when he was about to do something particularly sadistic.

"An-chan," Keiko said, "Hyoutei doesn't take well to people like you. We prefer people with more class... more breeding... you understand..."

An frowned, wondering at the discrepancy between this Keiko and the one that had befriended her. Keiko pointed upwards and grinned. An looked up just in time to see a large pot that had been secured to the rafters flip over, and a torrent of red fluid was coming down and spilling all over her. Every one in the cafeteria was staring at her by then, and were convulsing with laughter. After she was covered with the stuff she realized, from its texture and odor, that it was tomato sauce.

"That will show you how much your kind is welcome in Hyoutei!" Keiko said loudly, getting out of her seat.

"By the way," Aiko said, getting up to join her team, "Hyoutei would never have lost to Fudoumine if we had been playing with our normal regulars. And winning with a technique as crude as stacking... Fudoumine is full of underhanded idiots. Especially their captain, ne, An?"

The comments just spurred another round of laughter. An got up, glaring at the girls, more angry at the immature prank and barb against her brother than embarrassed. She turned on her heel and made her way to the bathroom, perfectly aware that she was dripping sauce all over the floor and every one was pointing and laughing at her.

The second half of the day was, needless to say, worse than the first half. Murmurs of "tomato sauce" and "fool" could be heard every where she went. She had failed to get out all the tomato sauce. Her uniform, as it was, was stained a light red, and sometimes would squish uncomfortably against her skin. She was looking forward to getting home and waiting for her brother's tennis practice to end. Maybe he would take her to see a movie, or get some ice cream, out of sympathy and brotherly affection. Or maybe she could work off some anger at the public tennis courts.

These were the thoughts that occupied her as she walked to the bus stops, but she was not so far gone that she didn't notice Atobe standing against a wall on her way there. She assumed he had been waiting for her, but was surprised to see that he was for once alone. She turned her head up, determined to walk right on past him, but his hand shot out to grab her wrist.

"Let go." An stated the words through clenched teeth and narrowed her eyes at the tennis player. She tried to yank her hand out of Atobe's grasp, but to no avail.

"An-chan, I really must apologize for today's turn of events."

So apparently every one in the school had heard about the cafeteria incident. "Do you expect me to believe you? You're probably the one that put them up to it!"

At least Atobe had the decency to look affronted at that statement. "I would never! Those two are friends with Mukahi, they were probably planning it all day."

An felt Atobe's grasp on her wrist loosen, and she jerked it away from him. She had no reason not to believe Atobe. She wasn't so naïve as to think that the girls befriended her for any other reason than to play their prank.

"You know, the students are just going to get worse. They never like scholarship beneficiaries, and they absolutely hate you because you're from Fudoumine. At least if you were going out with me, they'd be too afraid to do anything and leave you alone."

"There's no chance I'd ever date you." Even as she said it, An had to wonder at Atobe's statements. He actually sounded decent for once. He didn't even seem arrogant. He was, however, currently bristling at the insult.

"Fine, then! This is certainly the last time I'll condescend to try and date a commoner. But don't come running to me when the students intensify their torture techniques."

And now he was back to arrogant. An watched as Atobe walked away, turning to head to the bus before she missed the next one.


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter Summary: _Tachibana and his tentative boyfriend comfort a now sullen An over her Atobe problems. After Momoshiro and Kamio show up they all head to play a friendly game of tennis, triggering a memory of Atobe along the way.

_Pairings this Chapter:_ TachibanaFuji

_Notes:_ I tried to make this chapter longer then the others, and I did by a little, but I'm afraid I just don't have the time to make really long chapters. Gomen. And kudos to every one who saw that this was so similar to Hana Yori Dango! It's actually heavily inspired by it, and will have other plot similarities, and I kept forgetting to mention it in my notes.

**Chapter Two**

Tachibana never could explain his newfound relationship with his... was it boyfriend? He didn't even know. To be honest, he couldn't explain it because he was as confused by it as any one else. Some how, somewhere, he and Fuji Syusuke had taken to spending an inordinate amount of time together. Not that they were actually "together". Not officially, at least.

He did remember meeting Fuji, at the Tokyo District Preliminaries. He had both been looking forward to and fearing the moment Fuji would take the court in his expected Singles-2 position. Looking forward to it because he was anxious to see the prodigy play. But fearing it because he didn't know if Shinji, as capable as he was, could defeat him. Fortunately, for whatever reason, Seigaku had chosen to put their prodigy in the doubles slot. That had been the only match Fudoumine had won that day, and even then only because Fuji's partner had gotten injured.

After that tournament, the relationship between the Seigaku and Fudoumine teams was clear. They were rivals, but it was slightly more convoluted than that. Because, beneath the rivalry, was a definite sense of respect. Still, the individual relationships were not so clear cut, given the fact that the boys barely knew each, except maybe in the case of Kamio and Momoshiro, who were so obviously not fond of one another.

So when Tachibana saw Fuji at the flower shop a week later, he felt somewhat awkward. He was picking up some flowers that his mother wanted to plant; Fuji was buying a new cactus. It wasn't until later that Tachibana learned Fuji collected the tiny things. They had stood there, in silence, Fuji smiling that little smile that Tachibana secretly found very unnerving.

"Hello, Tachibana," Fuji had remarked pleasantly, holding a little green oval with a red prickly flower on top.

"Hello, Fuji." And then there had been a period of silence in the minutes before the cashier had come back.

"Here are those flowers your mother ordered, Tachibana," the man and said, smiling, and Tachibana had taken the flowers and given the man his money.

"Goodbye, Fuji."

"Goodbye, Tachibana."

The second time they had met it had been a little less awkward, and it had been at a book store. Both boys were buying texts for their classes.

"Ah," Fuji had said, his smile in place and looking down at Tachibana's book. Tachibana found himself looking at that smile... it wasn't quite unnerving any more. It might actually be considered cute. "That's a wonderful book. I enjoyed it immensely when I read it myself."

"Hmm. I'm sure I'll enjoy it as well, then."

The third time they had met Tachibana had bumped in to Fuji at the tennis store, to occupied searching for wristbands to notice where he was going. He had flushed a little as Fuji turned around, smiling that entirely endearing smile that only he had.

"Ah... Fuji..."

"Tachibana, imagine running into you for the third time in three weeks." Fuji's smile had widened a little then. But only a little. "It seems fate keeps throwing us together. Maybe we should date."

"Date?" Tachibana had uncharacteristically sputtered. He turned to look at Shinji, who was there, but might as well not have been. All he had been doing for the last few minutes was blend into the background.

"Why is he looking at me like that?" Shinji had mumbled to himself. "Does he think I'll have a problem with him dating some one else? Just because we were going out for awhile last year doesn't mean I'll be uncomfortable... after all, I was the one who broke up with him..."

Tachibana turned back to Fuji, who had been nodding.

"Yes," Fuji had said, "date. Don't you think I'm cute enough?"

And so a few days later, Tachibana took Fuji Syusuke to the movies.

And now, Tachibana and his... well, boyfriend, because that was what he was really, even if it wasn't official, were sitting at a table, his little sister sitting across from them and nursing a very large ice cream sundae. An uncharacteristic frown marked her face as she explained to them what had happened.

"And then she accused us of stacking, called it a deplorable technique, and said you were the worse captain in Tokyo. And then Atobe had the nerve to rub the whole incident in my face later that day!"

Fuji smiled, guessing that An was exaggerating a little. He poked at Tachibana's side. "Ne, Tachibana, how come your team didn't use stacking against us? Did you not think us a threat?"

Tachibana replied in all seriousness. "What about you, Fuji? Playing doubles instead of singles?'

"Ah. Touché."

Having dealt with Fuji, Tachibana turned his focus back to his little sister. "An, if the students there are harassing you, you can always come back to Fudoumine. The benefits Hyoutei offers aren't worth it if you get hurt."

An shrugged. She was stronger than that. "I'm not going to be bothered by such immature pranks. I'll stay at Hyoutei."

If only to show them what I'm made of, she added in her head.

"An..." Tachibana tried again, concern evident in his voice.

"Look, if I said I'm staying, then I'm staying."

Tachibana had to smile at that. His sister was as strong-minded as he was.

"An," Fuji interrupted, "how would you like an ice cream float to follow your sundae?"

And looked down to find that her sundae was gone and chuckled, a little embarrassed that she had finished it so quickly. "Sure."

She liked that her brother was going out with Fuji. A lot of the time it felt like she had two older brothers, instead of one. Fuji was really a caring guy... once you got past the creepy smile, she reasoned. She briefly wondered if Shinji was uncomfortable with her brother's new relationship.

"An! How was your first day at Hyoutei? Do you want to transfer back to Fudoumine yet?"

An watched as Kamio came running up to the table, his face flushed, and she smiled and waved. Kamio grinned as he got there, but his face completely changed as his eyes caught sight of something behind An. Whatever it was, it had changed Kamio's smile into a grimace, and had made his eyes narrow in distaste. An looked over to see what had changed Kamio's mood so suddenly, and was overjoyed when she saw another familiar face.

"Momoshiro!" She waved at the boy. "Come join us!"

Momo smiled and toddled over, much to the chagrin of Kamio, who seemed to be muttering "damn idiot bike thief" underneath his breath.

"Hey Fuji, Tachibana, Tachibana's sister," he said when he arrived at the table.

"How many times do I have to tell you I have a name? It's An-chan. Call me An-chan."

Momo only laughed and took a seat, leaving Kamio to stew on the other side of the table. Now that the two newcomers were seated, An proceeded to fill them in on the details of her first day at Hyoutei, making sure that she was painting Atobe in the worse light she could.

"That bastard!" Kamio exclaimed at the end. "Why can't Atobe and the rest of Hyoutei just leave you alone?"

An nodded in agreement, acting the part of the innocent victim. Momo wasn't as distressed as Kamio, but he wasn't a fan of Atobe and the rest of Hyotei either. Those kids really knew how to be annoying. He decided that he could at least act chivalrous. If anything, it would at least piss Kamio off.

"Tachibana's sister," he started, flashing a debonair smile, "if you want, I'll take care of Atobe for you."

"As if you could!" shouted Kamio in indignation. "If any one is taking out Atobe for An-chan, then it's going to be me."

Tachibana looked back and forth between Momoshiro and Kamio, wondering if he should step in and play the part of the protective older brother, but decided not to.

"I know what will cheer you up," Momo said with another smile, "a date."

To Momo's infinite amusement, Kamio was now sputtering at the end of the table.

"Date?" An asked, curious.

Momo nodded. "To play a game of tennis."

An perked up at the comment and looked around at every one at the table, hey eyes settling on Tachibana and Fuji. "Can we go play tennis?"

"Gomen, An," Tachibana replied, "I have some errands to run."

Fuji smiled. "I wouldn't mind a game."

Of course, Kamio couldn't leave An alone with Momo, even if Fuji was there, so he came along too. The four made their way to the tennis courts, waving good bye to Tachibana as he left in the opposite direction. It wasn't long after they got to their usual courts. It was at this  public place where An had met Atobe Kiego for the first time.

A few months ago, An had been sitting on a park bench on this very same court, observing the casual tennis players. She didn't play that often, but she was happy just to watch the tennis matches. But the doubles match that was going on was, much to her disappointment, very boring. She supposed that was what happened when mediocre players played. She wasn't that focused on the game, so she noticed pretty quickly when she felt some one sitting down next to her.

She looked up, mildly disturbed to see that her new companion was already smiling down at her.

"Atobe Kiego," he had said, his teeth an almost blinding shade of white, "because I'm sure you were wondering what my name was."

An wrinkled her nose in distaste and turned back to watch the match.

"And you are?"

An didn't turn around as she answered in an agitated voice. "Tachibana An."

"What a lovely name."

An snorted. A new match had started, and An recognized the players... these four were actually pretty good. It would probably end up being a fun match. Atobe, however, saw fit to interrupt her entertainment again.

"I'm sure you're bored watching these awful matches. I'll do you a favor and take you out."

An didn't even have time to digest the strange words before her hand was grabbed and she was pulled to her feet. "Now wait just a minute! Who said I wanted you to take me out?"

Atobe's face scrunched up into a confused expression for just a second before it adjusted back. "Why wouldn't you want to go out with me? You should feel lucky that I'm offering. Isn't that right Kabaji?"

An heard an "usu" from the side, and turned to see a very large, rather stupid looking fellow. "Well, I don't!"

By then, An's shouts and the fact that a boy was holding onto her hand rather forcibly had attracted the attention of the other players on the court. A few of the boys she knew came running up.

"Hey, An, is this guy bothering you?"

"Why don't you let the lady go, punk?"

Atobe looked at the newcomers in disdain. "Excuse me, the lady and I have a date to attend to."

"I never agreed to that!"

By then all the players had come to form a circle around An and Atobe, watching as An tried to tug her hand away from Atobe's.

"What's a bastard like you doing at these tennis courts any way? It's just shady to come to these places to try to pick up girls."

Atobe scoffed at that comment. "Actually, I had come to play some tennis, but since there are obviously no skilled opponents around my attention turned to other matters."

The boy who had spoken sputtered, his face turning red at the insult. "Why you... play us in a game, now, if you think your skills are so great. And if you lose you have to leave An alone!"

Atobe looked over at An, who was too confused at the strange turn of events to say anything. "What's in it for me? If I win, do I get a date with An?"

Every one turned to look at the young girl, who had finally regained possession of her hand from Atobe and was currently cradling it to her chest. She looked at the players that were gathered around, and added what she thought would be an impossible feat. "Only if you defeat all the players here."

Atobe shrugged, apparently nonplussed by the condition. "All right. Shall we began?"

It wasn't until Atobe and his friend had defeated ten opponent teams, with two more to go, that An realized that she knew the name Atobe Kiego. She had read it constantly in the pages of Professional Tennis Monthly. He was the captain of the Hyoutei tennis club.

It was too late to do anything about the bet now, though, and it wasn't long before Atobe had defeated every one and turned to claim his "prize". Luckily, Kamio and Momo, who had ended up together that day despite their mutual hatred of one another, had come along then, and had saved her from the date.

In the present time though, An had matters other than the her first encounter with Atobe on her mind. Now, she was content to be in the company of her friends and Fuji. She set it upon herself to decided the matches for the current game. "Kamio, you play with Momoshiro, I'll play with Fuji."

"What?" Kamio and Momo shouted at the same time. "Why do I have to play with him?"

"It's just that I never get a chance to play with Fujiko-chan." An smiled sweetly, and Fuji ruffled her hair for effect. The truth was she thought Kamio and Momo could play great doubles tennis together... if only they could get past their rivalry. She had asked Momo out on their last date, after all, as a ploy to get him to play doubles tennis with Kamio.

The game ended up being fairly interesting. An wasn't as good as the others, but Fuji's skills more than made up for that. When Momo and Kamio weren't bickering, which they did quite often, they played very well. Still, at the end An and Fuji won, with a score of six to four.

"You idiot!" Kamio pointed an accusing finger at Momo. "You missed all those easy shots."

"Don't blame this on me, you're the one who can't serve for the life of him."

Fuji smiled down at An, ignoring the argument coming from the other side of the court.

"Well," he said, "should I walk you home now?"

An nodded happily, having effectively forgotten about Hyoutei and their pigheaded tennis captain. The two walked away and towards the Tachibana household, leaving their oblivious opponents screaming on the court.


	4. Chapter 3

_Chapter Summary:_ An goes in for another round of student torture, Hyoutei style, and has a chance encounter with every body's favorite sleepy tennis player.  
  
_Notes:_ Again, thank you every one for the reviews! It's nice to know that people are following this fic =)  
  
To charz, your comments didn't piss me off at all, I'd like to know when my writing is confusing. I was actually worried about that part of chapter two, which was a flashback. I even asked my English teacher, who said the tense change was well done enough, and none of my beta readers had any problems with the scene. Still, if you didn't know what was going on, other people might have had the same problem, so I went back and changed the word choice to make it more obvious.  
  
Also, I'm glad people find the TachibanaFuji pairing so interesting. I haven't read the manga, which I know is different, but I feel there are more hints for TachibanaFuji then the more popular TezukaFuji in the anime. I mean, Fuji goes to visit Tachibana in the hospital, with flowers no less, despite the fact that they barely know each other... Tachibana gives Fuji his grip tape with no hesitation... Tachibana storms out of the hospital when he finds out Fuji is losing his match to Kirihara just to cheer him on... it's all very suspicious.

**Chapter Three  
**Apparently, the students of Hyoutei used violence to intimidate students they didn't like off their campus. Or that was what An reasoned, when she got to school the next morning, and was confronted by a group of girls she didn't know.  
  
"Why don't you go back to Fudoumine?" asked one girl snidely. "We don't need trash like you on our campus."  
  
And then another girl had pushed her, sent her stumbling into the bushes behind her. An thought they would have done more than that, if the bell hadn't sounded at that moment. As it was, they only shot her some scathing glances before making their way into the school.  
  
When she entered her classroom, she was bombarded with wads of paper thrown by her classmates. She looked at her teacher, who was staring resolutely ahead. Apparently the faculty of the school tended to look the other way when it came to their wealthy students. An ignored the harassment and walked to her seat, which had been pushed into the far corner of the room, effectively isolated from every one else.  
  
Gym was even worse. They were studying tennis, which An usually would have loved, but Mukahi was the guest for the day and was showing the students serves. An wasn't surprised when most of his serves "accidentally" hit her instead of going in the direction they were supposed to. Then, after gym, she had finished surveying the new bruises that dotted her legs and made her way to her gym locker, only to find that some one had taken her clothing. After a fruitless search, she was forced to take some dubious clothes from the lost and found. She spent the rest of the day in mismatched pants and a shirt, both of which looked much too big on her small frame.  
  
Then, during lunch, the girls from the morning were back, and with more of their friends. Apparently they thought it would be fun to form a circle around An and push her back and forth. At the moment she was sitting on the floor, covered in dirt and small cuts from the rocks she had tripped over during their bullying. Some familiar figures passed above her, stopping for just a second before starting off again. An immediately recognized the most popular boys in school.  
  
"Atobe!"  
  
Atobe turned his head for just one moment, but then continued walking away. "I told you, An-chan, not to come running to me when this happened."  
  
After they had walked forward a few yards Shisido looked back at An, then at Atobe. He opened his mouth, speaking in low tones even though they were out of earshot. "Are you just going to leave her like that?"  
  
For a moment Atobe's footsteps faltered, but then he started walking again as though nothing had happened.  
  
"Kabaji," he said, still not turning, "make sure they don't hurt her."  
  
"Usu."  
  
Meanwhile, An couldn't help but be a little shocked. It was true she thought Atobe was a lot of things, arrogant and spoiled being among those, but she never thought he was the kind of person to let an innocent girl be physically mistreated. Then it struck her... Atobe wasn't helping because she had refused to go out with him. This was her punishment for rejecting him. For the first time, An could honestly say that she thought Atobe was a genuine bastard. Somehow, she broke out of the circle and ran away from the mob that was following her. After a few minutes she had finally lost them, and found herself outside on a large balcony attached to a staircase. It must have been the school's fire escape.  
  
An walked towards the stairs, curious as to where it led, when she tripped over something. She stumbled and fell, landing on the hard surface only to look up into two amused brown eyes. Apparently she had tripped over a boy. And, she realized, blushing a little, a very cute boy.  
  
"Akutagawa-sempai. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you."  
  
"It's okay." The boy blinked, still half asleep. "I shouldn't have been sleeping here. Though I never expected any one would actually use this staircase. Call me Jirou, by the way, every one does."  
  
An nodded and smiled, shifting so that she was in a more comfortable position. "Okay, Jirou."  
  
"And who might you be?"  
  
That's right, An thought. Jirou hadn't been at the game they had played against Fudoumine, and he never had come to the public courts with Atobe and the others.  
  
"Tachibana An."  
  
"Tahibana..." the blond yawned, and scratched his head. "I feel like I've heard that name before."  
  
"My brother's the captain of the Fudoumine tennis team. He's really good."  
  
"Ah. Maybe I'll play him one day. So that means... you're here on scholarship?"  
  
An hesitated, then nodded, expecting Jirou's attitude to change towards her now that he knew she wasn't in the same social class that he was.  
  
"Congratulations." And with that comment Jirou closed his eyes, and fell back to sleep.  
  
An smiled down at her sempai. He hadn't seemed to look down at her at all when she told him that she was on scholarship. And there was something both irritating and endearing about a boy who falls asleep in the middle of the conversation. An decided, though, that she didn't mind. She sat back against the balcony, just enjoying the peace and quiet that the scenery offered, punctuated as it was by Jirou's soft snores. The fact that she had an unobstructed view of Akutagawa Jirou, well... that was just a pleasant side benefit.  
  
After that day, An took to spending her lunch on the staircase with Jirou. Apparently the boy didn't just sleep. Sometimes An would find him reading manga, or eating something, even though his lunch was two periods before hers. He was the only person in the school that was kind to her, and An felt that he was the kind of person that could never be hurtful to anybody. He was different from all the other students at the school.  
  
"Jirou," she said one day. They were seated on their staircase in the usual spot, and she was picking at her bento while he flipped through the pages of the latest Shonen Jump, laughing every so often. "Why are you always here this period?"  
  
"Free study," Jirou yawned.  
  
"I see." An picked up a piece of meat, looking over to see what was going on in the comic that Jirou was currently reading. She had found that Jirou didn't mind her reading over his shoulder at all; really, he was oblivious to it. She saw that he was reading this week's Naruto installment... hm... so the Sand trio was back...  
  
Jirou sniffed the air, looking up to see what An had between her chopsticks. "Is that... mutton?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh... yeah."  
  
Suddenly Jirou broke out into a large smile, his face beaming. "I love mutton! It's my favorite food!"  
  
An looked at her bento, then at Jirou's smiling face, and pushed the box towards him. "Do you want to share?"  
  
"Really? Can I? For real?"  
  
An blinked at the blond. She never knew that he could be so eager... it seemed as though he got fairly hyper when he was excited about something. "Sure."  
  
"Mmm. This is really good. Did you cook it?"  
  
An blushed, remembering that she had in fact helped her mother cook it. Of course, helping in this case had been limited to chopping up onions and adding spices, but Jirou didn't have to know that. And besides, she had watched her mom cook it, so that was kind of the same thing, right? "Yeah, I did."  
  
"Wow! You're a great cook."  
  
"Thanks." An blushed some more. "Eat more of it. You can try the other things, too."  
  
"Wow, thanks, An. You're really great!"  
  
An smiled and they enjoyed their lunch, Jirou picking at various morsels from her bento. After they were done Jirou turned back to his manga, but still kept up conversation with his companion.  
  
"Say, An, how come you never eat with your friends?"  
  
An frowned. "I don't really have any friends."  
  
Jirou looked up, confused, then turned a little sheepish when he remembered. "That's right. The kids here can be a little mean to some students."  
  
An snorted. That was an understatement.  
  
"Are they that bad?"  
  
"I'll be fine." An figured Jirou wouldn't notice that she hadn't really answered his question.  
  
"Is Atobe still bothering you?"  
  
An was a little shocked that Jirou knew about her and Atobe... but then, actually, the whole school knew, so there would be no reason for him not to. "No, he's pretty much left me alone. Which is good. I can't stand that snuck up jerk."  
  
Jirou rested his chin in his arms and looked up at the girl. "Atobe's... spoiled."  
  
"You don't have to tell me that."  
  
"No, I mean... he doesn't know how to be anything other then spoiled, because of how his maids and servants treat him. It's not really his fault. So when he wants something, he expects to get it. He doesn't know how to act any other way, even if he wants to."  
  
"Whatever. His parents should put him in line."  
  
Jirou opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when two figures came running up the staircase.  
  
"Tachibana An? What are you doing here with Jirou?"  
  
An looked up at Shisido suspiciously, then watched as Ootari appeared behind him. "Don't tell me Atobe's going to show up as well."  
  
"He didn't feel like skipping class," Ootari said.  
  
When An didn't look any less defensive Shisido raised his hands to his chest, palms out in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, let's call a truce! I don't want a pretty lady like you glaring at me like that!"  
  
To An's elation, Jirou leaned over to whisper in her ear, and she could feel his breath tickle her just a little. "Shisido's a big flirt with the ladies, but he's not exactly a threat, if you know what I mean."  
  
He gestured at the two other boys, and An turned to whisper back.  
  
"Are you saying... Shisido and Ootari?"  
  
Jirou nodded seriously.  
  
"Jirou," Ootari frowned, "what are you telling her?"  
  
"Hehe... nothing at all. So what did you guys want?"  
  
"We can't just come to enjoy your company? It's not often we can find you awake, after all."  
  
"True, true." Jirou smiled as his friends sat down.  
  
"So, An-chan," Shisido smiled and put an arm around her, a gesture An would have minded if she didn't know he had a boyfriend, "the kids aren't bothering you too much are they? Because you know I'll protect you."  
  
"Like you have so far?" An asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Ah... point taken."  
  
"I'm sorry, An," said Ootari, and he did look genuinely apologetic. "We can't get involved, or else Atobe will be upset."  
  
Of course. An nodded. "It's okay, I can take care of myself."  
  
"They're not doing anything too bad, are they? Because if you get seriously hurt, we will try to put an end to it."  
  
An shook her head. The students had been usual the normal bullying techniques, more focused on embarrassing her than anything else... the worse she had gotten so far was some cuts and bruises. "That's kind of you, Ootari, but it's nothing I can't handle."  
  
"I know Atobe can be pigheaded some times, but he's really a nice guy."  
  
"I'm sure." An was having a really hard time believing that right now.  
  
"Maybe you could give him a chance?"  
  
"No way in hell," An ground out between her teeth. There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, and then An, Ootari, and Shisido broke out into soft laughs.  
  
"I suppose," said Shisido, "I wouldn't want to give Atobe a chance either, if I were in your shoes. So, Jirou, how long have you been keeping An to yourself?"  
  
The three turned towards the blond boy, only to see that he had fallen asleep again, with an absolutely content look on his face. Ootari couldn't help but notice though, that after Shisido's and his eyes had left the sleeping boy, An's had lingered. So the girl had a crush on their volley specialist.  
  
"Hey," said Shisido, "doesn't next period start soon?"  
  
"Oh, that's right!" An stood up hurriedly, grabbing her bento box and notebooks. "I have to go to class! It's on the other side of the building... I'll see you guys later."  
  
Shisido and Ootari nodded as An went off, then Ootari leaned over to shake Jirou awake. "Hey, you can't miss math class again! Nakahima-sensei will be mad."  
  
Jirou blinked his eyes open. "Is the period over already?"  
  
The three friends headed down the stairs and towards the mathematics wing, surprised when they ran into Atobe going in the opposite direction.  
  
"Did you guys just come from the fire escape?"  
  
"Yeah," Ootari replied, "we just went to check on Jirou."  
  
"How come An was coming from the same direction?"  
  
There was an awkward silence before Jirou broke it, completely oblivious to the tension. "She eats lunch with me there."  
  
"I see." Atobe's face was unreadable, but his tone was clipped. He turned and started walking away.  
  
"Hey," Shisido called, and the three other boys raced to catch up with him. "You're not mad, are you?"  
  
"Why should I be? It's none of my business."  
  
Well, Ootari thought, that was almost uncharacteristic of Atobe. He looked over at Shisido, but the other boy just shrugged at him. There was no point in worrying about it, at least not until Atobe saw fit to fill them in on the situation. 


	5. Chapter 4

_Chapter Summary:_ An and Atobe spend a moment in time together in which An softens up to the tennis captain. The moment is ruined, however, when Atobe breaks An's heart by telling her who Jirou's really in love with (and a completely crack pairing emerges).

**Chapter Four**

When he had first seen her, one sunny day that seemed like ages ago, he had thought she was very pretty. But that wasn't what had attracted him to her. After all, there were plenty of pretty girls around, many of them prettier than her, and enough of them seemed to be enamored of him.

He had gone to the street tennis courts hoping to find some real challenges that he could then humiliate, therefore establishing once again his superior skills in tennis. He was practically depressed to find that there was no one worthy there for him to play. He had turned to leave, signaling to Kabaji, when an argument caught his attention.

Apparently, some people had shown up not realizing that this was a doubles only court, and were arguing over who would be paired with who. The pretty girl from before had stepped in, her voice clear and commanding.

"You two can pair up, and you can play those two."

"But-" came a male voice.

"No buts. If I say those are the pairings, those are the pairings."

It might have been irritating to others, but Atobe was quite endeared of the girl's commanding personality. All the girls he knew were entirely too passive. Most of them acted shy, thinking that's what men wanted, and even the girls who were somewhat outgoing were sure not to assert themselves when they went on dates with him. It was always "whatever you want, Atobe-kun", or "whatever you decide is fine". This girl, though, knew what she wanted, and wasn't afraid to say so.

She was even prettier in Atobe's mind now. He had lingered around the courts awhile longer, casually inquiring as to who this girl was. He found out that most people knew her as Tachibana's little sister, but some knew her as Tachibana An. Then, when he had decided that he would approach her, the thought never crossed her mind that she would turn him down. No one had ever turned him down before. And even after he had fulfilled her conditions, had beaten every player on the tennis court there for her, she still wouldn't date him.

He was genuinely happy to hear that she was coming to Hyoutei. And then, she had not only rejected him again, but she had done it in front of the entire school. He was completely humiliated by her. And though he knew no one would have the audacity to say anything about his embarrassment, he was also certain that they laughed about it behind his back. He would make certain that she never make a fool of him again.

As far as Atobe was concerned, he was done with Tachibana An.

Still, he had felt a little pang of an emotion when he found out An was spending her lunches with Jirou. Why had she accepted the other boy so easily? Why Jirou, and... not him? And just now, walking home, he had to run into her again. Knocked to the floor, against a brick fence, a cut upon her face, and those two horrid girls who were friends with Mukahi standing menacingly in front of her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The two girls started at the sound of Atobe's voice.

"Oh, nothing, Atobe-sempai." Keiko was a little confused, as Atobe had never stopped them from having fun with the scholarship recipients before, but she was smart enough to tell that he was mad. She grabbed her friend's hand and the two girls ran off.

Atobe looked down at An, a frown on his face. "You're bleeding. My house isn't far away, you can treat it there."

"Why should I go home with you?"

Atobe shrugged. "It's a deep cut. You should treat it right away."

An couldn't refute the logic of that... after all, the bus trip home was quite time consuming in itself, and she would have to wait awhile for the next bus any way. She reached a hand up to her face, drawing away to find that the cut was indeed blooding quite a lot, and stood up to follow Atobe.

When the two arrived at Atobe's house, An couldn't help but gape in shock. Atobe didn't live in a house, he lived in a mansion. It was a large, sprawling brick building, with a iron gate and a circular driveway, a huge fountain in the middle. Impeccable lawns and gardens stretched out from the house.

"Welcome home, Atobe-sama," said two girls in maid uniforms, opening the door for the two to walk through. An looked up and around... the foyer had its own small fountain, and looked to be at least three stories tall. She followed Atobe to the living room, where he gestured for her to sit on an opulent velvet chaise.

"Can I get you and the young miss something, Atobe-sama?" This time the request came from a butler, bowing low at the door.

"Tea, and the necessary things to treat An's wounds." Atobe turned to An. "Would you like any refreshments?"

"No. Thank you."

An fidgeted, very uncomfortable being in Atobe's house. And very uncomfortable with the fact that he was being very kind with her. The butler soon came back with tea, and set it out on the table for Atobe. He placed a bottle of rubbing alcohol, some cotton, and a band-aid in front of An.

"I'll do it," An said, before the butler or, god forbid, Atobe offered to help.

"Of course," was Atobe's only reply.

An cleaned up her wound, glancing around the room as she did so. Her eyes settled on a family photograph on the table, a picture of a baby and a very attractive couple.

"Are these you and your parents?" An felt that she should attempt to be nice to Atobe, at least for now, considering how kind Atobe had been.

"Yes."

"They seem very nice."

"I wouldn't know. I never see them."

An looked up at Atobe in shock, but the boy didn't look any different. He was calmly sipping his tea. "They don't live here?"

"They live in America. Our family does a lot of business there. I've been in the care of my servants since I was three."

"But surely you see them some times."

Atobe shrugged. "Some times they'll come home for Christmas, or call on my birthday. If they remember."

An frowned at how casually Atobe was saying all this. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about." Atobe placed his tea cup down, looking over at An. "Now that your cut is taken care of, Arthur can drive you home."

"Oh. Okay."

Atobe watched as An stood up to leave, but he couldn't help himself. He called out to her. "Why have you been eating with Jirou?"

An turned away as quickly as she could, but not quickly enough for Atobe not to notice the blush that had stained her cheeks. So he had guessed correctly. Suddenly, against all rationale, he felt the need to hurt the girl standing before him. This girl that he couldn't help but find so inexplicably wonderful.

"You like him. It's too bad he's in love with some one else."

An quickly turned back around to stare at Atobe, obviously shocked. "What? He's never said anything about that."

"It's a sensitive issue."

"I think you're lying."

Atobe shrugged. "Then you should ask him about Yukimura Seichi."

An stared at Atobe for a moment longer before turning and walking towards the door, her fists clenched. "Just as I thought you might be a kind person, you go and say such a hateful thing. Even if it was the truth, how did you think it would make me feel?"

An ran out of the room and the house, not bothering to look for Arthur. She would rather take the bus. Her thoughts drifted to Yukimura Seichi... she had remembered the name. Yukimura was the captain of Rikkai, who had come in first in nationals for the last two years. Every one involved in junior high tennis knew who Yukimra Seichi. She had never though Yukimura and Jirou might be together though...

An stopped, spotting the object of her thoughts up ahead. She hid behind a fence as she watched him. He was looking into a shop window... a book store. He was wide awake, though his eyes held none of the excitement An associated with a fully awakened Jirou. If anything, the boy looked hopelessly sad. After a very long time he finally left, and when he was out of sight she approached the store window.

A beautiful blue-haired boy stared up at her from behind the glass, the face imprinted on the cover of a magazine. A serene smile graced his lips and a large, cotton headband tried to tame the long hair that still managed to fall into his eyes.

"Yukimura Seichi," the headline wrote, and below it, in smaller lettering, "Can Rikkai Capture Their Third Championship?"

She abstractly noted that Inoue Mamoru had written the article, but didn't really care. So what Atobe said had been true. Jirou was in love with some one else. An took a bus home in a daze, not knowing how she should feel about the situation. Right now, well... right now, she just felt very blank. If she were like most thirteen-year-old girls, she might  have cried. But she wasn't as sentimental or melodramatic as that, so she didn't.

When she got home, she wasn't surprised to find Fuji sitting in her living room. He looked at her, the smile instantly wiping from his face as he saw her bandaged face, a mixture of surprise and concern there instead.

"An? Are you alright?"

"Is my brother home yet?"

"No, I was just waiting for him. What's wrong?"

"Can you take me out for ice cream? Before my brother gets home. I don't want him to question me about this." She gestured to the cut on her face.

Fuji, understanding, agreed.

The taste of cherry ice cream was comforting to An. It was something familiar, something that she had grown up with, and something she grasped on to when she felt herself falling into the unfamiliar. So it was over cherry ice cream that Fuji, in his own soft way, coerced the story from of An. And he listened, quietly, because that's all that she needed him to do.


	6. Chapter 5

_Chapter Summary:_ Kippei is injured during his match against Kirihara, and An goes to visit him in the hospital. She runs into Yukimura while she's there.  
  
_Notes:_ I can't say I like this chapter too much... I'll try to write the next one faster to make up for it. Yukimura might seem somewhat feminine, but... I never could see him as a boy. He's just too pretty.  
  
**Chapter Five**  
  
It was the Kantou Regional Tournament, and An was watching horrified as her brother played against Kirihara Akaya. She had heard the comments from his teammates, could see what was going on. Kirihara was deliberately trying to injure her brother. Finally, Kirihara served one last time, and Tachibana fell to the floor. An gasped, shooting out of her seat and running to the fence along with the rest of the team.  
  
It turned out that Tachibana's ankle was hurt and he would have to be hospitalized. Fudoumine lost to Rikkai that day, but the defeat was nothing compared to the concern the team felt for their captain.  
  
An was allowed to ride in the ambulance with her brother, though the rest of the team had to stay behind, promising they would go visit as soon as they could. While he was being taken care of she called her parents to tell them the news, then she called Fuji, and left him a message because he was in the middle of a game himself.  
  
Then she had bought fresh flowers for Tachibana, who looked even more sullen then usual.  
  
"It's okay," An said, in the most comforting voice she could, "you'll be well in time for nationals. Then we can beat Rikkai for sure."  
  
Tachibana nodded, although he didn't say anything. An sat down beside him on the bed, fluffing the pillows behind him a bit.  
  
"You'll be okay, Kippei."  
  
"I know, An." Tachibana looked over at his sister and smiled, his hand coming down to ruffle her hair.  
  
"Hey, watch it, you'll mess it up."  
  
"Sorry." Tachibana chuckled. "You don't need to stay here, you know."  
  
"I don't mind."  
  
Tachibana raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have homework to do?"  
  
An eeped as Tachibana made a threatening face, and then hit him with a pillow. "Fine. I'll go home to do my homework. Are you happy now?"  
  
Tachibana lowered the pillow, his smile in place. "Immensely. Now go."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. But you know I'm only agreeing to leave because mom will be here soon to keep you company."  
  
"Obviously," Tachibana laughed.  
  
An smiled at her brother one last time before she skipped out of the room and into the hallway. She knew Tachibana would be alright, and she knew that they would defeat Rikkai in the finals. She absolutely detested that bastard Kirihara though... he was so cruel. Even An could see that he was skillful enough to win the match without injuring Kippei, yet he had targeting him. For what? Did he enjoy hurting other people? An figured, if that was the kind of player that came out of Rikkai, Yukimura Seichi couldn't be as wonderful as every one said.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted, however, when she saw said boy through the doorway of a hospital room. She could only see half of his profile, but she was certain that it was him. His face was turned towards the window, a small, sad smile touching his lips, the hospital curtains hanging around him. As he felt some one staring at him he turned, and faced An with an inquisitive expression.  
  
"Hello," he said, his voice soft and breathy.  
  
"Hi." An wanted to hate him. She wanted to hate this boy who was so obviously important to the one person in Hyoutei who had been so kind to her.  
  
"Won't you come in? I don't get many visitors this time of day and I have to admit I'm feeling lonely."  
  
An hesitated, but, for some reason she wasn't quite sure of, ended up padding slowly into the room, taking a seat in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs that the hospital set out. Maybe it was morbid curiosity, or maybe a streak of masochism, that made her want to know more about the boy.  
  
"You can sit on the bed if you want. Those chairs are horrible to sit on."  
  
"No, it's okay. I couldn't."  
  
Yukimura nodded and smiled. "My name's Yukimura Seichi. What's your name?"  
  
"Tachibana An."  
  
"Oh! You're Tachibana Kippei's younger sister! He's an amazing tennis player."  
  
An started at the fact that some one like Yukimura knew who her brother was. No one really cared to research the Fudoumine team, since they were new and all. An realized, looking at Yukimura, his genuinely kind smile beaming up at her, that she couldn't hate Yukimura Seichi.  
  
"Is Fudoumine doing well this year?"  
  
An nodded, smiling. "Yeah, we made it to nationals. Except my brother just got injured in a game."  
  
An frowned at that as she remembered, then noticed Yukimura frowning as well.  
  
"Fudoumine was playing Rikkai today, weren't they? Was your brother playing against Akaya?"  
  
An nodded.  
  
"I see. I'm very sorry about that. Akaya, well... he doesn't know when to stop sometimes."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Yukimura smiled again, and An thought maybe his smile had lit up the room just a little bit more, that was how perfect he seemed. "Will he be well for Nationals?"  
  
"Yeah, the doctors said he'd be fine."  
  
"That's good, I'd love to see him play."  
  
"Will you be healthy for Nationals as well?"  
  
Yukimura's smile faltered a little, but he didn't hesitant in his answer. "Hopefully."  
  
An felt very rude all of the sudden. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."  
  
"No, no, it's okay," Yukimura laughed, "I'm happy you're so curious about my welfare. Actually, I have to go though surgery, but after that I should be fine."  
  
An frowned at the word surgery. "Is it serious?"  
  
"I'm afraid it is. It's okay, though. I'm determined to play in Nationals, so I know I'll be fine."  
  
An smiled and nodded. "I'm sure you'll be fine, Yukimura."  
  
Yukimura laughed at the girl's eagerness. "You're such an exuberant child."  
  
An blushed at being called a child. She was only one year younger than Yukimura... well, she guessed that might be considered young. There seemed to be a huge difference between thirteen and fourteen some times. She knew for a fact that Tachibana, at least, still saw her as a child.  
  
"Do you go to Fudoumine with your brother?"  
  
"Actually, I go to Hyoutei."  
  
"Hyoutei?" Yukimura looked vaguely surprised, but brushed it off with a small laugh. "What do you think of their tennis players?"  
  
An made a face. "I think Atobe is very pigheaded. Shisido and Ootari are nice, even if Shisido does act like a playboy. Mukahi's a bitch. Jirou is..."  
  
An's voice faded when she saw Yukimura's expression become glazed over as she mentioned Jirou.  
  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned Jirou."  
  
Yukimura's smile softened gently at the corner, and her eyes looked a little emptier. "What makes you think I don't want to hear about Jirou?"  
  
"I don't know... Atobe mentioned something about you and Jirou once... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed."  
  
Yukimura laughed, although his sad expression never changed. "My, you apologize so often. It's all right. So you don't know what happened between Jirou and me?"  
  
An shook her head.  
  
"Would you like to?"  
  
An hesitated, but then decided it wouldn't be rude to answer. "Only if you want to tell me."  
  
"I don't mind. It's not often I find such a good listener to talk to this about. Well, where to began... I knew Jirou when we were very young. Our families were friends, so we often played together, along with Atobe. Jirou would always fall asleep somewhere, and I'd have to find him, because Atobe wouldn't be bothered by that kind of thing. I always felt like I was his mother, even when we were only five. The three of us were inseparable. Then, when we were seven, I found Jirou beneath some mulberry bushes in my neighbors' yard. I didn't have any idea how he had gotten there, I don't know why I thought to look there... when I woke him up he didn't know how he had gotten there either. He was so cute. He looked up at me, and smiled, and said, 'Yuki-chan, you're so good at finding me. I want you to be the one that finds me for the rest of my life.'  
  
"I laughed, and I asked him, 'Are you proposing to me?' All of the sudden he looked completely serious, and he answered me. 'Only if you'll say yes.'  
  
"So I guess you can say we've been going out since we were seven. And even though we went to different schools, and became busy, we always made time for each other. And even when we didn't, it was okay, because it was enough, just knowing that he was there.  
  
"Then, last winter, I collapsed. The doctors told me I had Guillain-Barre Syndrome. They told me I would have to go through a round of surgeries, or I might be left paralyzed for the rest of my life. But the surgeries are risky themselves... and it isn't sure that I'll survive them. I didn't want... I couldn't let Jirou worry. I knew he'd be devastated, that he'd be hurt, and he'd spend his time concerned with me when he should be living his life. So I broke up with him."  
  
"That's just stupid." An was shocked that she had burst out like that, and Yukimura looked shocked as well, looking up at her with wide, unblinking eyes. But it was true, Yukimura was being stupid. "Don't you think that choice should be made by Jirou? You know he's just as devastated now that you broke up with him... he still worries about you, I'm sure."  
  
Yukimura still looked shocked, though now he seemed somewhat confused. "And how exactly would you know that? Has he said anything to you about it?"  
  
"Well... no."  
  
"Then I think you shouldn't jump to assumptions."  
  
"Yukimura? Is everything okay?"  
  
An and Yukimura looked up to see a tall boy with a baseball cap at the door. Yukimura smiled, though he obviously seemed a little unnerved.  
  
"Ah, Sanada, this is my friend An. An, this is Sanada, my vice captain. He's so devoted, he comes here every day to give me news of the team."  
  
For an instant, An saw a sad look pass through Sanada's eyes, the same sad look that Jirou had when he saw Yukimura's picture on the magazine, and the same sad look that Yukimura had when he was talking to Jirou. But then it was gone.  
  
"An. You're from Fudoumine, aren't you? I saw you at the match today."  
  
An nodded, thinking that it would be easier than to correct Sanada.  
  
"I'm sorry about your captain."  
  
An didn't feel like accepting the apology from Sanada, so she just nodded. They three made somewhat companionable conversation for awhile, although it was slightly awkward at times, and An couldn't help but notice that Sanada snuck glances at his sick friend any time he thought no one was looking. Soon enough visiting hours were over, and An and Sanada were forced to leave the hospital room.  
  
"An, would you like a ride home?" Sanada asked politely. "My mother can drive you."  
  
"That would be nice, thank you."  
  
The two walked down the hall, out of the hospital. Sanada made a call on his cell phone while they walked, though An was lost in her own thoughts. That is, until she saw the number that Sanada had just dialed displayed on his cell phone.  
  
"Were you talking to Jirou?" She was shocked. What connection could Sanada have with Jirou? From what she had seen in the hospital room, Sanada seemed to adore Yukimura.  
  
"Akutagawa? You know him?"  
  
An nodded her head. For some reason she didn't care that she was being rude right now. Yukimura was some one she could respect. Sanada... well, she didn't know Sanada, but she hadn't gotten a good impression of him at the match. She saw Sanada hesitate a little before deciding that he would tell her.  
  
"Akutagawa... I call him every day. To tell him how Yukimura is."  
  
For the second time that day Sanada had shocked her. "Why? I thought that you liked Yukimura."  
  
That stopped Sanada in his steps. "But that's exactly why I do this. Because Yukimura is in love with Akutagawa."  
  
Sanada started walking again, and An made the connection herself. Sanada cared for Yukimura enough not to want him to lose someone that precious to him. 


	7. Chapter 6

_Chapter Summary:_ Eiji's a cat… Jirou's a teddy bear… and Kamio is Trowa Barton from Gundam Wing? A comedic interlude from all the light angst of late, as Fudoumine throws a costume party.

_Chapter Notes:_ I always hated that scene in Hana Yori Dango where Tsukushi trips and falls right onto Domyougi's lips… that being said, I had to include it in this fic. Also, Kerrie-chan, thanks for pointing out my mistakes =) I kind of rushed through writing this chappie, it's nice to have some one point out errors.

**Chapter Six**

Fudoumine was having a mixer to raise funding for the student government association. They had invited all the junior high schools in the Tokyo Prefecture, so they were expected a large turnout. Fortunately, that meant Hyoutei was invited, so An would be able to go and see all her friends again. Unfortunately, that meant Hyoutei was invited, so An would have to see all those snobby students she hated there as well.

Still, after all the heavy things that had been happening to her lately, the dance would be a welcome respite. She wouldn't have to think about her problems at school, about Jirou, Yukimura, and Atobe. She could just have fun.

To make it even more fun, the mixer was a costume party. And who didn't like dressing in costumes? An had asked Momo to come with her, knowing the boy couldn't say no to her, and thinking she could trick him and Kamio into playing tennis again.

"What do you think we should dress as?" An asked Momo on the phone.

"I don't know... we should have a couples costume... like Romeo and Juliet, except not as cheesy." Momo smirked on his side of the phone. That would piss Kamio off.

"That's a good idea. We could be Mickey and Minnie Mouse." An knew Momo would hate the idea.

"Umm.... no."

An laughed. "Hold on, I have a call on the other line. Hello?"

"An?" Kamio's voice came through the other line, but it was more hesitant than normal.

"Hey, Kamio, sorry, but my brother's still in the hospital. You can reach him there." An hung up and switched to the other line. "Hey, Momo? What about Homer and Marge Simpson?"

"Where on earth are we going to find costumes like that? Any way, I'm not like Homer at all."

"Oh hold on, other line again. Hello?"

"Hi, An, um... I wasn't calling for your brother," Kamio said nervously.

"Oh? Do you need something?"

"Well, that is, I was wondering... you know, about the mixer dance thing, I wanted to know, if, maybe, you had a date already?"

"I'm going with Momo!" An stated happily. There was only silence at the other end of the line. "Hello? Kamio? Hello. Oh well, I guess he hung up. Hello, Momo?"

"Yo. So who was on the other line?"

"Kamio, but he hung up for some reason. He can be kind of odd sometimes."

Momo snickered.

"So, Momo, you could come up with some ideas too you know."

"Hey, I came up with the going as a couple idea! How about Gumby and Pokey?"

"Only if I'm Gumby."

"Hmm... that's a no then." Momo scratched his head. "Venus and Serena Williams."

"Yeah. I don't think so."

"That was obviously a joke." Momo was completely deadpan as he spoke.

"Obviously."

"You know, you haven't thought of an idea for awhile."

An heard a familiar beeping at the back of the phone, and let out an exasperated sigh. "It's the other line again. Look, I'll call you back, okay? It's probably Kamio."

"Sure. I'll talk to you later."

An hung up on her conversation with Momo and switched to her other line. "What do you want, Kamio?"

"Actually, this is Shinji, and I was wondering if you could help me with a costume for the mixer. Normally, I don't really like going to dances, but this is a special dance, because I've finally decided to do something about my situation, and I'm sure that An will help me since she's a really nice girl and, after all, I used to date her brother..."

An sighed as Shinji started mumbling to himself. She put him on speakerphone and went to make herself a snack.

A few days later An and Shinji were standing in her bathroom, putting the finishing touches on their costumes. An had to make a conscious effort to stifle her laughter as she fixed Shinji's hair. The blue haired boy just looked too cute. She then turned to look at herself in the mirror as Shinji looked through her make up.

"Don't worry," she said, adjusting her curly, blond wig, "you won't need to wear any."

Shinji let out a relieved sigh. "That's good to know."

An grabbed a particularly tacky bright red tube from her make up pile and smeared it on her lips. There, she was perfect. She looked down at her tight black shirt and pants and her red heels... this was going to be great.

"Who are you supposed to be?" asked Shinji.

An gasped. "Who am I supposed to be? You mean you don't know? I'm Sandy from Grease!"

"Grease?" Shinji blinked.

"Only the best movie of all time!" An rolled her eyes when Shinji didn't react at all. Maybe it was a girl thing... her and her girlfriends used to watch Grease at practically every slumber party they had.

"An!" called her mother from downstairs. "Momoshiro's here!"

"Please," came a very familiar, very loud voice, "call me Momo."

"Coming!" An gave herself one last look before grabbing Shinji and running downstairs. When they reached the living room An's mother couldn't help but grin.

"Shinji, you look precious!"

Momo just burst out laughing. "I can't believe you're dressed like that!"

Shinji crossed his arms across his chest. "Are we going or not?"

The three kids stepped out of their house and walked towards Fudoumine... the school was only a few blocks away so it wasn't that bad. An was satisfied to see that Momo had dressed the part of Danny very well... really, it made her want to break out into song. On their way they ran into Sakurai and Ishida.

"What are you supposed to be?" An asked cynically.

"I'm Kaidoh from Seigaku," said Ishida, who was dressed exactly how he dressed every day. "You know, he always wears a bandanna."

Ishida pointed to the bandanna that covered the top of his head.

"Umm..." said Momo, "you always wear a bandanna too."

"Ah, but mine is usually white. I'm wearing a green one today."

"What about you?" An asked Sakurai, who was also dressed exactly how he dressed every day. "What are you?"

"A high school student."

"And they dress like..."

"They dress exactly like junior high school students."

"I see."

Just then the two boys noticed their teammate standing behind An, and their mouths dropped.

"Shinji? What the hell are you wearing?"

Shinji's eyes narrowed. "I think it's obvious what I'm wearing. Why are they asking what I'm wearing when they can obviously see the answer for themselves, it's not like I have to state it for them..."

"Where are Uchimora and Mori?" An asked, as Shinji mumbled to himself in the background.

"Well," replied Ishida, "Mori didn't want to go, and Uchimora's snowman costume broke, so he's not coming either."

"Snowman?" Momo questioned, but no one answered him.

It wasn't long before the gang got to the dance, and Momo and An were tackled by a familiar figure.

"Nya!" It screamed. "You two are such a cute couple!"

An giggled at Eiji, who was dressed up as a cat... and a very sexy cat at that. What possessed the boy to wear a unitard and heels, An did not know. She always thought the Seigaku boys were kind of odd. They were very nice, and she really did like them all, but that didn't change the fact that they were odd. A vampire came up to them then, winking at Momo and An before glomping onto Eiji from behind.

"Nya! The big bad vampire's going to suck my blood!" screamed Eiji, with very bad acting, before he shot off. The vampire, who was obviously Oishi, ran after him. They ran towards Ryoma and Sakuno, who were standing awkwardly by the punch bowl. Sakuno was dressed as Juliet and somehow, some one had gotten Ryoma into a Romeo costume. The boy looked uncomfortable as anything with the stiff costume on and, as always, seemed oblivious to the shy girl trying to get his attention.

"Well..." An started, still staring at the hyperactive Eiji, "that was... interesting."

"Oh, please," joked Momo, "that's nothing compared to practice."

"Hello Momo, An. Don't you two look adorable? And Shinji, his costume is... interesting." Fuji stepped up beside them, his smile in place. He was dressed as a cactus, of all things. It was very odd to see Fuji covered in green felt and pipe cleaners. It was even odder imagining him making the costume.

"Hey, Fuji," Momo replied. "Any one else from Seigaku here?"

"You know how Tezuka and Kaidoh are. Antisocial as always. Inui's in the shadows somewhere collecting 'data'... he's dressed as a scientist, as unoriginal as he is. If you see a fish walking around, that should be Taka-san."

"A fish?" An inquired.

"It's a costume the restaurant uses for promotions," Fuji said. "He borrowed it."

An looked around. She didn't see a fish any where, but she did see a rather adorable bear sleeping on the bleachers. Only Jirou could pull of a cute bear costume like that without looking like an idiot. Kabaji was sitting next to him, wearing a jester's uniform. An also caught sight of Hiyoshi, which seemed odd, considering how hostile he seemed to other people, dressed up in a disco-era style afro and white suit. The afro probably would have looked better, though, if his bangs weren't sticking out from under it.

"My lovely senorita," came a deep voice, "may I have the pleasure of stealing you away for a dance?"

An turned around and laughed to see Shisido dressed in a Zorro uniform. Ootari was beside him, wearing a Spanish barmaid's dress. An had to admit he looked very pretty. They were both wearing long wigs... apparently, Shisido missed his lovely locks of old.

"Yo," said Momo, getting into his character, "she's my lady, so back off."

All four of them went speechless when they saw Oshitari walk by in full bondage gear.

Momo stuttered. "Are the chaperones... okay with that?"

Shisido shivered. "I did not need to see that.'

What was worse was when Mukahi then pranced by, dressed up as a ballerina. "Wait up, Oshitari!"

An and Momo excused themselves from the group so that they could look at more costumes. Akutsu Jin had turned up as a clown, proceeded to beat up the first guy who laughed at him, and had gotten thrown out by a chaperone. Dan Taichi had gone running after him, dressed up as a little blue fairy, although he was still wearing the green headband. Lucky Sengoku was dressed as a pimp, as were dozens of other people in the gym, including Yanagisawa from St. Rudolph's. Yanagisawa, however, had a fake cigar between his strange, protruding lips, and had taken the opportunity to wink at An and ask when they were going to have a date together. Mizuki was dressed as a pirate... a purple pirate with a penchant for roses... and seemed to be avoiding Fuji at all costs. Yuuta was dressed as an astronaut, and looked appropriately adorable.

"I always wanted to be an astronaut," he had explained when An had asked him. "At least I can dress like one."

Finally, the two had managed to find Kamio, who looked very upset at their matching costumes. Momo, needless to say, was very happy.

"Sandy and Danny? That's so cheesy."

"Aww," said An, "you don't like it?"

"No!" Kamio, who had directed the comment as an insult towards Momo, was madly trying to back track. "I mean... er... I like cheese."

"Oh. Okay."

Momo just laughed. "And what are you supposed to be?"

Kamio looked down at his very tight turtleneck and jeans. "You can't tell?"

"No."

"I'm Trowa Barton from Gundam Wing."

"Are you some kind of otaku? Gundam Wing... how dorky."

Kamio fumed, but couldn't think of a good comeback, so he let it slide.

Suddenly, An felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned around to see Jirou's face poking out of a bear costume.

"Do you want to dance?" He scratched the hood of his costume, which formed the bear's head, and yawned.

"Sure." Smiled An, and she left Momo and Kamio arguing in the background.

"So I heard you met Sanada and Yukimura," said Jirou, twirling her about on the dance floor.

"Yup."

"What'd you think of them?"

"Sanada's kind of creepy, but Yukimura's really nice." An put on the most innocent expression she could. "Is Yukimura your boyfriend?"

Unexpectedly, Jirou smiled. "He was. He broke up with me though."

Suddenly, An felt very sad, because she knew deep down Jirou must be sad as well. "You know he still likes you."

"I know." Another unexpected response from Jirou. "That's why I don't mind that we broke up."

"I don't understand."

"It makes Seichi happy to think I'm not worrying about him. So, until he gets better, I'll let him think that."

"Then when he's better you two can be together again."

Jirou smiled and nodded. "Bingo."

"I see." Now An didn't know quite how she felt. She thought maybe she was happy, but then she thought that she was sad, and at the end she just compromised and told herself she was a mixture of both. Jirou would be back with Yukimura... it was all for the best. That's what Jirou wanted, so... that should be what she wanted as well. The song ended, and Jirou let go of An's hand.

"Thanks for the dance," he said, "but I think I'm going to go home now. I'm kind of tired."

An nodded and waved to Jirou as he left. She turned and saw Atobe staring at her, dressed up as a king, but quickly turned away from him and walked off, in search of Momo. She found him talking to a cute girl near the bleachers, his cheeks a light tinge of pink as he stumbled over his words.

"Oh, the girl I came with? No, no, she's just a friend, we're not dating at all..."

So that was the girl in Momo's Japanese history class that he was always gushing about. She decided to leave them alone, and turned to see a green prickly hand waving at her. She ran over to Fuji.

"What's up?"

"Your mom just called my cell phone. There was an emergency at the hospital."

"What?" An's eyes widened, and Fuji didn't even have time to explain before she shot off running to the entrance.

An wasn't paying attention herself, however, as she ran, and soon she found herself tripping and flying through the air. She closed her eyes on instinct as she braced herself for the fall, surprised when she crashed into what appeared to be a body, and her lips pressed against... something soft? Something that felt suspiciously like another pair of lips.

An opened her eyes, completely shocked, only to look into the equally shocked eyes of Atobe Kiego. She pulled herself away, about to scream. Atobe had just taken her first kiss! And how the hell do you trip and fall onto a pair of lips any way? It just didn't make physical sense... for god sakes, Atobe was taller then she was... you can't trip and fall upwards. Atobe, in the time that these thoughts had run through An's head, had composed himself.

"I can understand why you would resort to such low tactics to kiss me," he said, loudly, so that every one could hear, "but really, An, you're just not my type."

The students nearby started laughing, the Hyoutei ones more so then the others, but An only had the time to yell one last "Jerk!" before running away.

Meanwhile, Kamio had witnessed the entire scene and was now a bright shade of red. Atobe had just kissed his An! He would have to deal with the bastard one of these days.

"That Atobe is such a jerk," came a monotonous voice to his side.

Kamio turned to see who had spoken and then looked away again. "Hey, Shinji."

Then he blinked, and turned back. "Shinji?"

He looked his best friend since kindergarten up and down. Shinji was wearing two barrettes in his hair... a girl's uniform top... a short skirt... and biker shorts. "Why are you dressed up as An?!"

Shinji shrugged. "I wanted to get you to notice me."

That statement almost overloaded Kamio's brain. "But... I'm not gay!"

Shinji snorted. "I saw how long you were holding Tachibana's hand before the ambulance guys took him away. You have to be gay."

Kamio sighed, mourning the fact that too many boys in Japan's junior high tennis circuit seemed to be either gay or bi.

Shinji, while Kamio had been contemplating this, had looked over Kamio's costume. "Should I have dressed up as Quatre Winner instead?"

In the shadows, a mad scientist watched the proceedings, light glinting from off his glasses.. He furiously scribbled in his notebook. "What interesting data I've collected tonight..."


	8. Chapter 7

_Chapter summary:_ Events transpire as Seigaku play against Rikkai, and a date is proposed.

**Chapter Seven**

When An had accidentally kissed him, Atobe had been shocked. In the split second that it took him to compose himself, though, one thought had entered his head. This was his chance to publicly embarrass the girl, just as surely as she had embarrassed him. So he had done it, said those condescending words, and after they had left his lips... he felt even worse than he had before. He told himself that he felt bad because An hadn't reacted to his taunts, but he knew it was something else. He didn't want to embarrass her, no matter how she acted with him. He didn't want to hurt her.

Meanwhile, in a hospital not so far away, An was absolutely livid.

"What?" She was practically screaming. "There was no emergency? But I was so worried! So I kissed Atobe for nothing?"

"You kissed Atobe?" Tachibana raised an eyebrow.

"Oh... hehe... it was an accident."

The siblings engaged in a short bout of staring at one another before Tachibana gave in and seemingly let it slide. An breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry to make you worry," Tachibana said seriously. "I went down to the cafeteria to get a snack. When mom came to visit me and I wasn't in the room she freaked out."

"That's so like her."

"So what's this about kissing Atobe?"

An groaned. "It was an accident."

"Accident?"

"I fell."

Tachibana looked incredulous. "You fell? Upwards? Onto his lips?"

"I don't know how it happened, okay, it just did!"

Tachibana chuckled a little, noticing that his sister was now a delightful shade of pink. "You know, Atobe's not a bad guy, once you get to know him."

Now it was An's turn to look incredulous. "And what would you know? I'm the one who goes to school with him."

Tachibana shrugged. "I'm just trying to offer you my opinion."

An rolled her eyes, then decided to change the topic. "So you know Fuji decided that he wants to play in the singles 2 position against Rikkai."

"He hadn't told me that. Kirihara will probably be playing singles 2."

"Isn't it romantic?" An purposely opened her eyes wide and put her hands up to her face in a dreamy posture. "The noble hero... getting revenge for his injured lover. I wish I could be the damsel in distress one day."

Tachibana frowned. "Who's the damsel in distress here?"

"Hehe... just kidding."

A few days later An was, as she promised Tachibana and Fuji, watching the Rikkai and Seigaku match from the bleachers. There were members from all the other teams there as well, if only because the match was guaranteed to be exciting. This was, after all, the Regionals.

Rikkai had won two games, and Seigaku had won one game. Now Fuji was up, playing against that insufferable Kirihara, and the devil was trying to use the same trick that he used on Tachibana on Fuji. An cringed as she watched Fuji stumble, but manage to return a shot any way. Suddenly, she felt a vibration coming from her purse. She picked up her phone to see the name "Kippei" flashing on the screen, accompanied by a chibified picture of her older brother.

"Hello? Kippei?" she asked.

Kamio heard An's greeting and turned curiously towards her. "Is that Tachibana?"

"Hi, An," Tachibana's voice came through the line, although it was muffled by static. He was probably calling from one of the hospital pay phones. "How's the match going?"

An frowned, wondering if she should lie and then deciding against it. "Well... Fuji was winning for awhile, but now Kirihara's making a comeback and Fuji's in trouble."

"Trouble?" Tachibana's voice had raised an in volume, obviously concerned.

"Well... it seems as though Kirihara is trying to injure him as well."

There was no answer from Tachibana then, and An had thought he might have gone into shock until she realized he had just hung up.

"What did he say?" Kamio asked.

"He hung up." An frowned as she watched the match. Knowing Tachibana, he might just ignore the doctor's orders to stay in his room and come down to the match. Kamio, as it turned out, was thinking along the same lines as An.

"Do you think he'll come down here?"

"Probably."

An looked over at Jirou, something she had been doing throughout the matches. He was standing with the rest of the Hyoutei team, behind the chain link fence that surrounded the tennis courts, completely enraptured in Fuji's match. An noticed, with some distaste, that Atobe had joined his teammates, even though he hadn't been there for the previous matches.

An then turned back to the match, although she made a point to constantly scan the crowd for signs of her brother. In about ten minutes her suspicions had proved to be correct, and she spotted Tachibana behind the fence directly above Fuji.

"Tachibana!" Kamio yelled, and the Fudoumine members rushed out of their seats and up to their injured captain.

When An and the others got there they saw Tachibana staring down at the courts with a worried expression on his face, and looked down to see that Fuji had fallen, grasping his ankle in pain.

"Fuji!" Tachibana yelled, his voice as loud and commanding as his teammates remembered. "Get up! The Fuji I know would never lose like this!"

An looked down at the courts to see Fuji look up. His face was confused at first, probably questioning why Tachibana was there, but then his lips spread into a genuinely happy smile. His eyes opened wide, content blue eyes looking up and directly at her older brother. He mouthed two words, "thank you", and stood up, a new focus within him.

An, in the meanwhile, had taken the chance to smack her brother upside his head, very unsatisfied when all he did was grunt in annoyance.

"What do you think you're doing here?" she yelled. "You shouldn't be running around with your ankle injured! What on earth are you thinking?"

Tachibana rubbed his head sheepishly. An was even more intimidating than him when she wanted to be.

"What do you think your doctor's going to say? What if you hurt your ankle even more? We should take you back to the hospital right now!"

"Um... An..." Kamio interjected meekly, "it's already done with, so maybe we should just watch-"

Whatever Kamio was about to say, however, was interrupted when every one realized a tennis ball was flying straight at Tachibana. It hit the fence, and the force of it caused the injured boy to stumble to the floor. An looked down at Kirihara, who had obviously shot the ball, his smile devious.

"That bastard!" Kamio exclaimed, before he and Shinji bent down to help Tachibana up.

"It's alright," Tachibana said as he got up on shaky legs, supported by his two friends, "Fuji will teach him a lesson."

An shouted down to the court, cheering on her brother's boyfriend, and the others soon joined her. True to Tachibana's prediction, Fuji won the match, leaving a devastated Kirihara crouched on the tennis courts. Fudoumine couldn't be happier.

The next match would decided which team won the Regional Tournament, and would be a pairing between Sanada and Echizen. An decided to use the break to go to the vending machines to get some water for her and her brother. When she got there she was pleasantly surprised to find Momo getting a Ponta.

"Hey, Momoshiro!"

Momo turned and smiled. "Hey, Tachibana's sister."

"I have a cute name you know. It's An-chan. An-chan. See, it's not hard to pronounce."

Momo chuckled and opened his Ponta.

"Aren't you going to treat me to a water?" An asked with an upraised eyebrow.

"Eh?"

"It's rude to leave a girl thirsty you know."

"Oh, of course." Momo dug some more change out of his pockets and inserted it into the vending machine, picking a bottle of water out for An.

"Are you worried about the game?"

Momo tossed the bottle at the other girl, who caught it deftly. "No. Well, a little. But Echizen's a monster... he won't lose easily."

"Oh, it's Momoshiro."

Momo and An turned at the voice, which turned out to belong to St. Rudolph's Mizuki. He was standing there with the goofiest expression on his face, his eyes glowing and his cheeks pink.

"What's with him?" An whispered to Momo.

"Oh, apparently he just met Fuji's sister, and he's developed quite the crush."

An was shocked. "You mean... he's not gay?"

Momo nodded his head sagely. "Yeah, I know. I didn't believe it when I heard it either."

"Ne, it's Momoshiro's girlfriend, da ne. She's as cute as always."

"Thank you," An replied to the enamored Yanagisawa, conveniently forgetting to correct him and say she wasn't Momo's girlfriend. She just loved to tease Momo about it, even though she thought of him more as a little brother. Little brother, even though he was technically the same age as her.

"An!" he exclaimed nervously. "Don't go along with a statement like that!"

"What are you two doing here anyway?" Mizuki asked. "Sneaking time to be with one another?"

"Momo's treating me to refreshments," An replied happily.

"So they are sneaking off to be together, da ne."

"No!" Momo exclaimed again. "It's not like that!"

An laughed, then grabbed Momo's hand and dragged him back to the courts. "Come on, we're going to miss the game!"

When they got back An gave the rest of her water to her brother and congratulated Fuji, who was seated next to him. She noticed that the Rikkai team members were leaving then, leaving Sanada by himself.

"Where are they going?"

"Yukimura's surgery is today," Oishi, who was seated nearby, replied. "Sanada told them to go be with him."

"Oh." An was surprised by the news... she hadn't known Yukimura's surgery was scheduled so soon. She looked over at the Hyoutei team. Most of the members were focused on the match, but Jirou was seated underneath a tree a little farther away from them. Surprisingly, he wasn't sleeping, but staring at the tennis courts in a distracted manner. An decided that he was far enough from Atobe that she could go talk to him.

In a few minutes she had reached him, and had seated herself delicately to the right.

"Are you worried?" she asked gently.

Jirou looked up at her, startled out of his thoughts. He looked back at the tennis courts. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"You should go, too. To the hospital."

Jirou looked up again, and his eyes seemed hopeful. Maybe he had wanted to go to the hospital... had just been waiting for acknowledgement that it was okay. "Do you really think I should?"

"I really think you should."

Jirou smiled, and seeing that, An couldn't help but smile back. "Thanks, An."

An watched Jirou get up and go, then noticed that Atobe, Shisido, and Ootari were staring at her. Shisido and Ootari were amused, and Atobe was standing there with some unreadable expression on his face. In truth, he had seen the whole exchange, and had been confused by it. He knew An liked Jirou... and here she was telling him to go to Yukimura. What was wrong with the girl? He would never have pushed An into Jirou's arms. Even as Atobe thought that, though, part of him couldn't help but be admire something about her actions, even if he didn't know what it was.

An decided to ignore the three tennis players, and got up to rejoin Fudoumine. She had taken two steps when she felt her wrist grabbed and she was pulled back, ending up not a foot in front of Atobe. Atobe looked down at her, still with that unreadable expression, and An found that she couldn't think of anything snide to say.

"This Saturday," he said, his voice completely serious, "I'd like to take you out on a date. I'll be waiting outside the fountain on Kunikuyo at noon."

Atobe let go and An rubbed at her wrist, making a confused face before turning and running off.


End file.
